Friday, October 14, 2011

I am so thrilled to see the recent influx of magnetic polishes. That was the last item left on my nail polish wishes list and now it's coming true! So far I've only tried LCN and Lancôme, but now Nails Inc. has a couple of magnetic shades available at Sephora. By the way, who else was super bummed when Sephora sent out that email that the Nails Inc. Magnetic Trio was discontinued before it was even released? I was. I soooo wanted that set, the pretty packaging, getting three shades for the cost of only two. Ugh. Now watch, after I buy both shades, they're going to bring back the set. Anyway......

I chose Houses of Parliament, but there's a grey shade called Trafalgar Square as well. There used to be a gold one called Big Ben, but it seems to have vanished.

Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish in Houses of Parliament.

This polish only requires one coat. I'm not kidding. One coat complete opacity. It is very thick in texture, but it still dries extremely quickly.

Out of all the magnetic polishes I've tried, this one is the easiest to use by far. Nails Inc. has really nailed the magnet design. Observe:

The Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish bottle has a vanity cap with built in magnet. That means that whole round outer cap comes off and becomes the magnet platform. There's a little plastic curve at one end of the magnet. What you do is rest your cuticle on the curve and you'll automatically be in the optimal position to form a good design with the magnet. It keeps the nail from touching the magnet and the dip in the curve really helps you center the design on your nail.

There is one thing about this polish that you need to be careful of: The magnet is VERY strong. Which is a good thing, but that means that if you put a really thick coat of polish on, it will suck the iron out of the polish and onto the magnet, forming little weird nipple-y things on your design. So, try to go for a thinner coat, or even one super thin coat over a black or purple base. The thinner the coat, the less the magnet will attract the polish.

Quick summary:

What I liked:

Easiest to use of all the magnetic polishes I've tried.

Gorgeous rich purple color.

3D / Tiger's Eye / surreal effect on the polish. You HAVE to see it in person, it's crazy.

Magnet works extremely fast. I only need 1-2 seconds for a strong design to form.

Generously sized bottle.

Reasonable price for what you get- $16 for 0.33fl oz of polish and the magnet.

Complete coverage in one coat.

Fast dry time.

Available at Sephora.

SO FREAKIN' COOL.

What I didn't like:

No variety in the colors- you get grey or purple, that's it.

Super crazy strong magnet can mess up the design if you're not careful.

Brush isn't the greatest quality, which is a shame.

Yeah, this one definitely gets two thumbs up from me. It's awesome. Dying to try the other color now. Really hoping they do more shades of this!

I'm hoping Nails Inc. comes out with more colors and releases another set (with more of said colors!) in the coming months. For now I will amuse myself with the LCN polishes I have. =DI'm wearing one of theirs today, in fact, with a star magnet design. It truly does need to be seen in person.

This magnet design is the same as the Boots No 17 magnetised polish, which has more colour choices (not many, but some).

You make it sound as if the magnet in Nails Inc's version is stronger; I've certainly had the Boots ones going visibly "bumpy" during magnetising-process, but it re-levels rapidly while leaving the pattern, when I take the magnet away. I find I need longer than 2s, though, but I think that's partly practice. (Also, my nails are more curved than yours, and I'm really only getting the pattern on the centre of the nail, particularly on my thumbs, and particularly if I don't hold for 5-10s.)

I just as tickled that the magnetic polish trend is alive and kicking! I really do hope they bring back the trio. I'm still hoping it was just a logistics error or because this is a soft launch, they didn't quite figure out how huge the demand would be.

This really is a stronger magnet! The effect stands out more and you really see a contrast. That magnet design was definitely well thought out to facilitate use. That's something I really appreciate. Wish more companies did that!

Thanks for a great review! I think this is the magnetic polish I'll invest in. :)

I have this one and I love it. But I hate how pricey it is. Back in the summer Ulta had the Essence magnetic polishes for 5 bucks on their website. But they were sold out before I could place an order.

I had bought Essence's magnetic polish and it didn't work for me :( Thanks for posting this because I've been dying to try magnetic polish's but hadn't heard of any other brands. Purchasing the silver one right now :) Then purple next haha!

Just received my Sephora order today, I ordered the gray shade, Trafalgar Square...can't wait to try it!! Did my daily check of your blog, and am so excited to see that you already swatched the other color. I hope they come out with more soon!

I just picked up Trafalgar Square today. I already had Lacome's Le Magnetique polish in Bordeaux Esmee, and I only used it once or twice, because I found it a pain to apply. The magnet was also hard to line up with the polish, and it sucked. After I read your post about how these were so much easier, I made the trek to Sephora to get one. I actually tested it in the store over my worn, old manicure, and it worked so easily. Thanks for recommending these!

I ordered the polish as soon as I saw it in the September Vogue. I've had on Tafalgar Square (the gray) since my mani last Friday. I'm very impressed with both the effect (the ripples, not the nipples) and the long wear of the polish.

I ordered this polish as soon as I saw it in the September Vogue. I've had it on since last Friday, and it was the first time that I've brought in a polish that truly floored my manicurist. I'm truly impressed by both the effect and the durability- not a chip in sight! I can't wait for more colors.